Forbidden Love [Fem!reader x Cassandra] [COMPLETE]

Prologue

warning(s): child experimentation/cadou

Before we begin your journey with castle Dimitrescu, I'd like to tell you a story. Long ago, there were two little girls lost in the woods near their village. They had gotten lost while playing when the sun began setting, leaving the two to huddle close and begin calling out for help.

The flapping of wings was heard before the priestess of the village knelt before the two, her normally cold, blue eyes softening. She offered her hands to the girls before taking them to the village, stopping at their houses to drop them off. Before the priestess left, however, she decided to sit down with one family and discuss a very heavy topic with them.

"As you may know, I'm working toward getting someone back," The priestess smiled as her eyes drifted to the brunette that was now huddled under a blanket. "I believe I have use for your daughter."

"She'll become part of your family? She won't have to worry about starving?"

"Correct."

"Then, of course! We'll have her ready in the morning!"

"Perfect," The priestess hummed and moved over to the sleeping child. "As for her little friend... I'll try to use her as a vessel too, but I don't think she'll live."

"You'd risk the life—?"

"I do what I must to get my daughter back!" The priestess hissed, taking a deep breath to calm herself once more. "I'll be back in the morning."

The priestess kept her promise; returning the next morning to collect the girls. When the two were together, they were happy — lively. But when separated, the two became irritable and wouldn't stop screaming until they were near each other again. The priestess — Miranda — learned that quickly and made sure to not separate the two.

Night finally arrived and Miranda seemed to have everything ready — except for how to deal with the other child. The child she didn't think would survive. With a low sigh, Miranda moved the child into a separate room and locked the door, ignoring her cries as she returned to the three children waiting for the cadou.

'Alcina will take these three,' Miranda thought to herself as she began her procedure, the cries of the children barely making her flinch. 'This will help me either way.'

By the time Miranda returned to her lab — having given Alcina her recent experiment — the cries of the lone child had gone quiet. When the priestess checked on the child, she found that she had passed out, prompting the woman to pick up her limp body. Miranda carried the sleeping child to a table and strapped her to it, grabbing a jar of cadou.

"I guess it won't hurt to test it on you. Your family wouldn't take you back anyway," Miranda hummed and opened the jar. "But I do apologize if you die — no child deserves to die by the cadou."

The child let out an ear-shattering scream before going silent a moment later. When the child's breathing didn't start again, Miranda sighed and gently picked up the child, unfurling her wings before disappearing in a whirlwind of feathers. She landed on a cliff and silently set the child down, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

"Rest well, child," She whispered and placed a feather on the child's chest. "I pray the cadou is simply taking a while to activate. If it is, someone will find you."

A few hours went by before the child begin to breathe again, a piercing cry leaving her. Vines crept toward the child before a woman appeared, kneeling and picking up the child. She shushed the child while bouncing her gently, smiling warmly as the child settled down.

"You poor thing," She hummed as a portal opened behind her. "Hades, dear, I've found us a new daughter."

"And I've just put Isa down for their nap," A man, Hades, stepped out of the portal and placed a gentle hand on the woman's lower back. "That poor child is still having nightmares... What happened with this one?"

"Miranda happened. Let's take her home — the cadou should keep her alive."

"Right this way, my Queen."

The woman laughed and carried the child through the portal, slowly making her way through a torch-lit hall. She came to a stop inside a large bedroom, planting a kiss on the child's head and smiling when she fell asleep. Hades stopped behind the woman and wrapped his arms around her waist, his gaze dropping to the child in his wife's arms.

"What should we name her?"

"[Y/N]."

Hm? You didn't expect it to be your story? What did you expect other than your own story? Alright, alright, I'll skip ahead to the correct part. Yes, yes, I'll make sure to get to the good parts as well.

First Person POV

"Lady Cassandra," I called as I entered the attic, sending her a warm smile. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes!" Cassandra beamed and headed over to me. "Remember that painting I told you about?! I finished it!"

"You remembered what the little girl looked like?"

"I did! Come take a look!"

I giggled and made my way over to the canvas, playfully swatting the excited vampire away. When my gaze landed on the canvas, however, my smile fell. My eyes danced over the two children in the painting — one being the lady and the other being, surprisingly, me.

Lady Cassandra started rambling about how she managed to recall the memory of the girl — each word helping pull memories out of the depths of my mind. I took a shaky breath as tears filled my eyes, causing me to turn and gently cover Cassandra's mouth with my hand. Confusion filled her eyes as I shook my head, forcing a smile.

"Cass, we need to talk..."

"Ye-yeah, okay..." Cassandra murmured as I removed my hand. "Is everything okay?"

"I uhm... You said you couldn't remember what happened to her, right?"

"Yeah, no one ever mentioned her or acknowledged that she existed. Why? Are you sick? I can—."

"I'm her."

"What?"

I took a deep breath and stepped away from her. "I'm the little girl from your memories... You painted me."